dft

Live tests are currently underway to test the feasibility of using the disused Manston airport as an overflow lorry park in the event of post-Brexit problems in Dover or the Channel Tunnel. A fleet of 89 empty trucks, hired-in by the Department for Transport at taxpayer’s expense, set off at 08:00 from Manston for the 20-mile journey to Dover, where they looped the roundabout at the entrance to the ... [+]

A Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published today (28 November) has warned that there is “a real risk” of the UK’s transport system being unprepared for Brexit on 29 March and that the Department for Transport has been unnecessarily secretive in its planning
It says that risks are increasing “as time runs ... [+]

Roads Minister, Jesse Norman, has revealed plans to keep traffic moving through Kent in the event of disruption to cross-Channel services.
It includes a new version of ‘Operation Stack’ with a contraflow on the northbound carriageway of the M20 between junctions 8 and 9 while lorries are being queued for the ... [+]

Explosive detection dogs have been reintroduce at UK airports to screen cargo, according to the Department for Transport.
The dogs have undertaken a rigorous new training programme set out by the UK government to prepare them for the task of sniffing out explosives.
Free running explosive detection dogs (FREDDs) and their human ... [+]

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today has appointed a Maritime 2050 team to discuss new technology such as autonomous ships and digital ports. It will set out the challenges and opportunities to allow the Government and the UK shipping industry to plan for the long-term and give certainty to investors. A ... [+]

Edinburgh Airport-based Extrordinair has become the first freight forwarder in the UK to attain phase 2 Security Management Systems (SeMS ) accreditation from the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Sylvia Fleming, owner and founder of Extrodinair, which specialises in animal transportation and operates the only Border Inspection ... [+]

The Freight Transport Association says that 2.05 metre longer trailers than the standard 13.6m units – introduced in the UK as part of a ten-year trial on 2012 – are making a significant contribution towards reducing HGV miles and cutting emissions. At the same time, a Department for Transport report ... [+]

A measure of the desperation faced during Operation Stack last summer is reflected in the list of sites for emergency lorry parking considered by the Department for Transport.
According to the Kent Messenger, the list of possible sites has just been released to the media under the Freedom of Information Act. ... [+]

GB Railfreight told the Department for Transport that there should be incentives for investment in Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges (SRFIs) and freight warehouse facilities across the network, in its submission to the consultation on the draft National Networks National Policy Statement (NN NPS). The rail operator also asked that any ... [+]